Ivorian national team skipper Yaya Toure expressed blame to the all team members after the Elephant hit by a 4-1 away defeat by Cameroon in the second round of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

“We all have ourselves to blame for the debacle. We all share the responsibility for this awful defeat,” Toure was quoted as saying on SuperSport after Wednesday's game at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

“It was a difficult match and we tried to control matters early into the clash but it flopped. In second have, we had many opportunities to put the encounter to bed but we failed and so we have to blame ourselves," the Manchester City midfielder added.

The hosts took the lead just 15 minutes by Lyon striker Clinton Njie goal, ten minutes before Toure leveled the score but the Lions were able to end the first half with a 2-1 lead thanks to Vincent Aboubakar goal. Aboubakar netted his side's third nine minutes into the second half, before N'jie hit the fourth.

“I think it appears to be a good thing to lose now and reorganise ourselves ahead of the upcoming games. When you lose early in such a campaign it helps to get yourself cool-headed and prepare for the next hostilities,”

The victory took Cameroon, who bowed out of the World Cup group stage this summer, to the top top of Group D on six points following their 2-0 away win at DR Congo last weekend.

“It is not over yet. Our initial objective is to qualify to the finals in Morocco and this has not changed. Our team is undergoing a reconstruction and we all know this might take a longer time than expected.”

Ivory Coast slipped to third place with a single win after squeezing out a 2-1 home victory over outsiders Sierra Leone.

In the other Group D match, DR Congo claimed a 2-0 victory at Sierra Leone, thanks to second-half goals from Firmin Mubele Ndombe and Bokala.

Congo climbed to second spot with three points, on level with Ivory Coast whose thumping defeat left them third with inferior goal difference.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)